Trigun Remix
by Usarea
Summary: A/U: Ryoko from Tenchi Forever is after Vash, and she means buisness. But there's conflict when she has to choose between the lover of peace and the anylitical brother. A paradox between love and fate. Please Read and Review!!
1. Dear Readers

Dear Readers:  
  
I just wanted to write and let you guys know that everything's a little obscure for a reason. And that reason is: Ryoko doesn't care about what going on around her just yet; she has no real influence over what's going around her. But the more you read, the more you will find the story changes and the more clearly Ryoko hears those around her, you know why? It's because she's beginning to CARE! I've got this whole thing set up a certain way, so you've got to get past the petty details to get to the good stuff and then, when you read the good stuff, you'll know what's going on. There really is a strategy to all of this, I swear!  
  
LOTS OF LOVE, Usarea. 


	2. Finding Vash

Disclaimer: To all you die hard Trigun fans. this is going to be a little rocky at first, but I promise that I will give all the characters their ado, I just had to throw in my favorite character of all time into the plot, I want so much for a happy ending, but it's still going to be really bumpy no matter what. So. enjoy! I know I'll never be as good as the original author of Trigun, but I'll damn sure try!  
  
  
  
Trigun Remix: Chapter One-Finding Vash  
  
The desert heat beats down on a lonely traveler. The wind picks up and slings waves of sand over the desert floor. Under a hooded cape is a woman with long, layered, spiky blue hair and brilliant orange demon eyes. She is known as The Blue Haired Demon to most, and very few know her as her true name.Ryoko.  
  
Her mind is filled with thoughts of revenge. Each step is a closer one to her goal.  
  
--Vash- she thought as she spotted a lonely bar made to look like a casa in Mexico.  
  
In bright lettering at the top, in bold red letters was "Beer, Wine, and other Essential items".  
  
A cunning grin played on her face.  
  
--He's here, I know it-  
  
As she swung open the double doors, people at various places in the bar turned to see who it was, however her focus was entirely on a tall, slender man, who wore a long, red trench coat, small, round, gold sunglasses and had spiked gold-blonde hair sticking out of the large collar of the coat. He sat on a bar stool in front of the bar, slumped over a drink he was sipping oh so slowly.  
  
The cunning grin showed much more satisfaction now.  
  
--Now that I've finally found you, Vash the Stampede, it's time to put this plan into action...-she thought as she sat down on the stool next to him.  
  
Okay, Okay. I know I kind of left you guys hanging', but how do you like it so far? I really want to know. Gives me incentive to continue to chapter 2.. 


	3. Bar Scenes

Disclaimer: I don't own Trigun, or Tenchi, but I will do this fic to the best of my abilities.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The Blue Haired Demon sat down next to the Vash the Stampede. She looked at the man her left before she looked over to Vash. The man to her left must have sensed something was wrong because after she looked at him he immediately stood and rushed from the bar, leaving his hat and drink behind.  
  
---You know. I could end it here and now for you, Vash the Stampede---- she thought, but then she smiled.  
  
---But what would be the fun in that? ---  
  
She then suddenly slammed both of her hands onto the counter and then pointed at the bartender sharply.  
  
"Bartender! Bring around another round of what my friend here's havin'!" she exclaimed as she wrapped an arm around Vash's shoulder and rocked him slightly.  
  
A look of wonder and surprise filled his once solemn features. A slight blush became painfully obvious behind his golden glasses.  
  
"Um. excuse me Miss, but. do I know you?" he asked uncertainly.  
  
She then gave him a happy grin.  
  
"That's what I was hoping you'd ask!" she said and then oh-ed over the two new drinks as they were placed in front of her.  
  
She then turned to him from her seat, ever keeping her hand on her glass. She pointed a finger up to indicate a point, when she noticed his eyes wondered downward.  
  
She had been wearing a large black cape with hood, but underneath she was wearing a black leather tube-top, with gold metallic rings holding the straps on, and black leather pants that went strait into black leather boots.  
  
She allowed her hand to drop.  
  
"Finding something interesting down there?" she asked with a sly smile.  
  
He then looked up at her with a questioning glance and then blushed wildly before sticking up his hands and waving them frantically.  
  
"No-no-no-no-no! I was just wondering that it's just so hot out today, why anyone would go around in so much black!" he said with an innocent smile.  
  
She then sat back.  
  
"Really?" she asked in a wondering tone, a questioning look swept across her face.  
  
"Yeah. And what's even more mind boggling is that you haven't even broke a sweat! There are no buses this way and it's obvious you came here on foot!" he said, the innocence oozing from his very being.  
  
The questioning look deepened as she reached to take her first sip of the drink in her hand. But before she could, there came a commotion from outside. Then came a faint buzzing sound and every then flooded out of the bar, leaving Vash and Ryoko alone.  
  
She looked at Vash in a puzzled glance.  
  
"Wonder what that's all about?" she asked.  
  
Vash just shrugged.  
  
The humming became even louder before the roof and nearly half of the bar's top was torn off in a matter of seconds. The bar's interior was left exposed, as well as the two forms inside at the bar's counter.  
  
Vash and Ryoko turned to see a large group of men standing with large automated weapons pointed at them. Standing behind them all was a humongous giant of a man holding what appeared to be an over sized boomerang.  
  
Vash had gone back to his drink and Ryoko sat blinking at them just before they opened fire.  
  
When they were done shooting, the entire bar was reduced to ruble except for the seats Vash and Ryoko were in, the remaining bar counter in front of them, and both of their drinks. Ryoko then suddenly stood and shook her fist at them.  
  
"Who in the hell do you think you are!? You nearly knocked over my drink you stupid bastard!" she yelled before sitting back down and about to take another attempt at taking at least a sip.  
  
That's when she noticed Vash had slowly stood and was then pointing a really large revolver at the mob of men. She was going to say something and then thought against it.  
  
---Somebody cue the dramatic music. --- She thought about to take the sip.  
  
There came a sudden clicking noise. Sad enough to say, Ryoko found it wasn't coming from the other side, but from Vash's empty weapon. She looked up in time to she his face loose it's composure, him look nervously from the empty gun back to the mob, dangle the gun loosely on his finger and then slowly try to inch away.  
  
They then open fired again and sent the legendary Vash the Stampede running into the open desert. They quickly followed, but one or two remained, for they had noticed Ryoko. As the others left them, they strolled confidently up to her unmoving form.  
  
"Hey Miss! You wouldn't have happened to have seen the Legendary Gunman, have you?" one asked in a mocking tone.  
  
---Another one of Vash's nick-names no doubt. --- She thought to herself as she was about to take a sip when a hand landed on her shoulder, causing a few drops to spill from the glass.  
  
She then sat down the drink, her eye twitched, her brows creased, a frown set in and a vein could be seen clearly on her forehead.  
  
"Common sweetheart, don't be like that, we just want to talk." he didn't finish his sentence before Ryoko turned to him, cocked a fist back and then planted a fist into the center of his face, causing him to go fling close to fifty feet away.  
  
The second man watched in growing terror as his friend was so easily decked as far away as he was. He turned a shaky glance at The Blue Haired Demon as he was drawing his gun, but he soon found himself next to his friend with an equally large indention in his face.  
  
Ryoko then sat down, muttered something about 'teaching those stupid pricks who's boss', and then was finally able to take her sip. It was spitted out shortly after. She looked down at the glass in horror.  
  
"Apple juice??!! What the hell???" she exclaimed and then turned to the direction Vash had ran.  
  
---It didn't even have any alcohol in it! --- She thought sadly as she slowly put down the drink and then started to pick up Vash's trail once again. 


	4. Shadowy Moments of Memories Long Past

Disclaimer: I am not the best fan fiction writer, nor to I claim to be. I don't own Trigun, nor do I claim to know EVERY ASPECT of the show. I'll just do my best at what I love to do. and that's FAN FICTION!  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Ryoko slowly made her way through the harsh winds that held blasts of sand that felt as if shards of glass were ripping their way through her cape and hood, but she stood firm. She felt none of the impact on her skin, however, and was completely unaware of what was happening around her. Her mind was focused on one thing. Vash the Stampede.  
  
---I'll find your dopey ass yet! --- She thought to herself as she surveyed upcoming upraises of earth.  
  
She heard several gunshots before she arrived, she heard the sound of people yelling from a distance and cries of surprise, anger, and frustration not far afterwards. As she was making her way around a corner she saw Vash standing at the bottom of a hill looking up to two strange looking women with his thumb up and a strange frown on his face.  
  
One woman was short and wore a strange overcoat. She had short blue-black hair and watched Vash with an ever twitching eye and sweat drop. Beside her was an abnormally tall woman, a good foot taller then Ryoko herself, with long brown hair and a strange smile on her face.  
  
Vash then said something about earning doughnuts and ten double dollars and then began laughing maniacally before he heard a ticking noise behind him and blue lines appeared on his face when he realized it was a bomb. Then, with a high pitched scream, he dodged out of the blast's range. Ryoko gave a slight smile at this comical scene. She then turned from the scene and trudged down a hill not too far from the blast.  
  
She had watched as Vash and the women had finally gone their two separate ways and then followed Vash to a small town. She watched him for a long while before surveying a scene of a man being tossed out of a bar. The man got up, dusted himself off and then stumbled over to Vash. The man gurgled something inaudible to Vash, but Ryoko heard well what Vash was asking him.  
  
"Where do you live? I'll take you home."  
  
The drunk looked sadly at him and pointed in an obscured direction. Vash gave the man an amused and slightly sad smile before shaking his head. The man was pointing in the direction of the bar. The man then pushed him away and then began trudging his way back to the bar. Vash's face filled with concern and reached out to the guy before he could fall again. The man once again pushed him away, only more violently this time, but Vash's composure didn't change.  
  
---He still seems so deeply concerned with that venomous human.--- Ryoko pondered to herself as she surveyed the scene before her.  
  
Her heart almost went out to him.  
  
---Why was I hunting him again? --- She thought.  
  
A once faded memory came to mind, one that she'd almost forgotten, but was also her very fuel of action.  
  
---Knives--- she thought before the memory came into play.  
  
**********Flashback************  
  
A miniature version of Ryoko sat crouched in a cold, metallic corner. She didn't know for how long precisely she had been drifting through the abyss of space, but when she ran into the ship she had to go in. She was cold and alone. Sitting in the darkness she never noticed the slender figure before her.  
  
"Who are you?" a voice asked.  
  
She looked up to see a white-blonde young boy before her. His eyes were an amazing ice-blue and his face was fair. Even though he was frowning at her she couldn't help but to be taken aback by his presence.  
  
"What's it to you?" she replied in childish defiance.  
  
He then gave her a coy smile.  
  
"Depends... If the humans on this ship find a stow-a-way, they just might chunk you into the depths of space from which you came." He said; his tone as cold as his eyes.  
  
Her eyes wavered some and her features trembled.  
  
"Scared? If I were you, I'd be stupid not to be." He said, his tone remaining ever steady.  
  
She shifted her gaze to the floor.  
  
"My name's Ryoko." She said quietly.  
  
The boy stepped even closer to her before leaning over and placing his hand on her shoulder. The hand was cold and uncaring and the grasp was almost unbearably strong.  
  
"We may not be just acquaintances, mainly because I know you aren't human, nor are you even closely related to those nauseously stupid ape-like creatures." He said in an almost pleasant manner.  
  
Her heart almost seemed to freeze with fear as she looked up to him.  
  
The following days were filled with late night tasks for her new "friend" and constantly forced isolation. She learned his name was Knives and that he had a twin brother named Vash. She learned of his hatred for human kind and his growing frustration for his brother's constant interaction between the humans. Subconsciously, Knives forced her into isolation because he refused to share her with anyone and tried to out-do his brother in the aspect that Vash's companion was Rem, but Rem was a human and useless to Vash as a whole, Ryoko, however was much more efficient and not human. However, consciously, he based it on the fact that she was all apart of a much larger scheme and interference would be detrimental to its development. He found Ryoko had many strange abilities that he found useful. She could travel through solid objects, dissipate and reappear from place to place in short distances, fly and create weapons and shields using a strange energy created by her body. This energy was also something that intrigued him about her.  
  
She was in her isolation when the ship began to fall. The night before, Knives had told her to stay where she was and no matter what happened, she wasn't to move from that spot. She hugged her knees and thought only of him when the plane finally crashed on a planet called Gunsmoke, and still, she didn't move.  
  
She grew into a woman; she worked on developing her skills and found she could create her own clothing and other inorganic materials, just by using the strange energy from within her. For one hundred years she stayed there, wondering if Knives were okay. The only supplies there were an alcohol supply and a lot of mechanic's tools. Needless to say she drank a lot during the first fifty years of her stay.  
  
Finally, one day, as she had sat before in her cold, dark corner, a tall figure appeared.  
  
"Who are you?" the once recognizable voice was now deepened some, but she still recognized it.  
  
She looked up to see a tall, slender but lean young man standing before her. His hair white-blonde and cut the same as when she first met him and his ice-blue eyes even sharper then before. They both looked at each other in silence, noticing that in that hundred year lapse that neither of them had aged past twenty-three.  
  
She then slowly stood in front of the man before her. He wore a strange white suit, which fit the contours of his body and looked oddly elegant on him. She wore a strange out fit of a full black body suit with a red and white long sleeved dress over it, on with slits on each side of the leg that came all the way up to her hips, and the shoulders were puffy.  
  
They stood facing each other in their new forms. They had gotten taller, more slender; each of their features had slowly turned supple and now defined each of their sexes. Her long, layered, blue spiked hair defined her face more and her startling orange eyes saw things more clearly. She saw that he was more powerful then the last time she saw him, he'd gained abilities far past her own. He once again placed his cold grip on her shoulder.  
  
"We must build something." He stated, his voice cool and calm.  
  
Her heart was frozen in her fear of him and only nodded.  
  
He fully made up for the hundred years he had left her by spending one hundred years with her. They built two guns and he continuously told her of his plans to destroy all of man kind. She knew that two hundred years was enough to establish human colonies. He then left her and told her not to come out until he came back. She reluctantly nodded and watched as he left. She then realized a pull on her heart as she watched him leave. She wondered if that was what Rem had called "love".  
  
She waited only a few hours before she heard a loud explosion from off in the distance, then there came the yelling. She noticed that one of the voices had to have been Vash's. Something then felt terribly wrong.  
  
Disobeying orders, she dissipated through the walls that confined her for the last two hundred years, flew to the outside before landing on the ground and then running to the spot where she heard the last horrible screams.  
  
When she arrived she noticed Vash running away and she then saw Knives' unmoving body, her heart was torn in two. She flew over to his body, crying out his name and begging for a response.  
  
She felt he was still alive, although his body was horribly mangled. She then spent the next seventy years building something to sustain him while caring for him at the same time. She finally created a castle on the top of a mountain, on the inside of the castle she built a rejuvenation tank for him and placed him in it.  
  
While he still slept, she made the solemn vow to hunt down Vash and kill him. But once he awoke, he had far greater plans in mind.  
  
Thus she was sent into the desert in search of the Vash the Stampede.  
  
**********Flashback ends***************  
  
Ryoko shook off the memories and then ran up to help Vash with the still struggling man. They found each other under each of the man's arms and looking at each other in an odd questioning glance. Ryoko then smiled happily.  
  
"Couldn't let you get all of the fun!" she said to him, not knowing what it really meant.  
  
The man had already passed out before giving his home address.  
  
Vash looked confused but then smiled all the same. They then began dragging the man to his home.  
  
"Besides, you owe me a drink." She stated shortly after.  
  
"What?!"  
  
"Well, the last time we met, you did sort of mess up my whole drinking experience."  
  
"Huh...? I.I'm not getting what you're saying."  
  
"I never expected you to."  
  
"What?!"  
  
"You've got a thick skull, that's what it is."  
  
"What's that supposed to mean??"  
  
Silence followed, Ryoko's only response was an evil grin as they pushed the man into his house, and put him on the bed. Once outside the door, Ryoko flung an arm around his shoulder once again.  
  
"Common, let's go get a couple of drinks." She said happily.  
  
"But. I don't have any money." he stated.  
  
"That's okay. I know how to get some money!" she declared happily.  
  
He only blinked at this.  
  
--- Do I even want to know? --- He thought before following her to the bar. 


	5. Something About Vash

Disclaimer: I love Trigun, and I don't want to offend anyone with my zany antics, but this is just a love of mine. I love Trigun and I wanted to put my favorite character in it, Ryoko. I sure hope you like it, because I know I do!! =^.^= !!! Mew! Enjoy!  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Chapter Four: Something about Vash.  
  
Every now and again the Blue Haired Demon would catch a glimpse of the Humanoid Typhoon's sea-green eyes as they were fixed with concern on the other wise putrid-smelling, foul-mouthed, and assumingly retarded drunk. She thought she caught a glimpse of something lying dormant in those eyes, but quickly shook it off.  
  
---This guy's a dunce, that's all. There's no philosophical meaning beyond or embedded into his persona, quit being so damn difficult--- was her response to that unruly feeling that was stirring like slimy, writhing eels in the pit of her stomach.  
  
After they had left the putrid smelling apartment of the Low-Life they walked together down the dark, deserted street of what appeared then to be a ghost town. A cold wind swept past them from the East, but neither of them seemed to flinch as the harsh wind tugged at their lanky forms.  
  
Ryoko hardly noticed that The Stampede was staring at her.  
  
"Thanks for helping me back there; it was really nice of you." He said in a soft tone that could be mistaken for being sheepish.  
  
She looked over at him with surprise as she saw him wearing a kind smile. She replied with a smug one as she looked down to the ground.  
  
"You don't have to thank me." she said quickly darting her eyes to him, a happy grin on her face and her eyes turned to crescent moons.  
  
".but you can buy me a drink!" she cried happily.  
  
He almost went into an anime fall before looking at her with false distress.  
  
"Your relentless!" he cried, a comic look of being disturbed filled his features.  
  
She smiled broadly before reaching her arm around his shoulders and then started heading him towards the nearest bar.  
  
"YES I am!"  
  
They sat in the bar for a couple of hours. She ordered the drinks so it was only a matter of time before they were both talking incoherently and laughing manically at jokes that didn't even make sense.  
  
"Orry bout dat dunk guy, he juz seemed so hepless, know whatta mean?" Vash asked her with a slight sway.  
  
"Zat's kay, but da guy wuz soooooo freakin smelly. I taut I was gonna pass out. know whatta mean?" she replied, her composure was stiff yet lucid.  
  
She then downed another glass.  
  
Vash giggled wildly.  
  
"Yeah! Really MELLY!" he said then laughed a high pitch cackle.  
  
Another hour went by and Ryoko was soon passed out on the table. Vash blinked sever times at her, his face confused as he watched her unmoving form and her steady breathing. Her hand still grasped the bottle before her.  
  
His once swaying form became still, his goofy position was replaced with a calm composure. He suddenly looked the same as he had before he had even entered the bar. His eyes softened and a distant smile formed on his lips. He watched as she stirred slightly on the table.  
  
He slowly pushed the chair back from the table, stood and then rummaged through the pocket of his red trench coat. He pulled out several double dollars to pay for the drinks they had ordered, plus a generous tip.  
  
He then walked around the table to Ryoko. He lifted the hand from the bottle, grasped her wrist and then used it to pull her up. He then pulled her up and over one of his shoulders. As she dangled behind him, he had an arm wrapped around the back of her thighs, holding her firmly in place.  
  
A couple of people looked at him, their eyes cold and convicting. He waved at them happily, a slight blush formed on the bridge of his nose and across his cheeks.  
  
"My friend seems to have had one too many drinks." He said; the convincing sheepishness was firmly present.  
  
The men then went back to whatever it was they were doing, not paying him any more mind.  
  
He then walked to the nearest motel, walked up the receptionist's desk and ordered a room. He paid for a night's stay and then took the keys from her with a grateful smile. Before he left he saw the concern in the young woman's eyes.  
  
"She'll be fine, but she'll have one dozy of a hang-over when she wakes up!" he said, the sheepishness still conquering its victims.  
  
She then gave a humorous smile and nodded fervently.  
  
He then took the elevator to the third floor and slowly walked to the room whose number matched that of the one on the key's tag.  
  
Unlocking the door he walked in and then used his foot to easily close the door again. He then laid the motionless figure onto the bed gently. He then removed her cloak and hung it neatly on a coat rack beside the door. He then went to her and unzipped her knee-high leather boots and placed them neatly beside the bed.  
  
He then picked her up, once again, and then pulled back the covers of the made bed and then placed her on the bare sheets. He looked up and down her form once more always stopping on her face. He then reached over and pulled the covers over her, tucking her in snuggly.  
  
He reached over and ran a hand over her forehead, pushing back her bangs.  
  
"Sleep well Ryoko, you'll catch up with me again in no time. You always do." He said smiling slightly before walking to the door, locking it and just before stepping out looked back at her once more.  
  
"You're not as bad as everyone thinks you are. I kind of like that." He said and then shut the door quietly.  
  
Ryoko only stirred slightly in her drunken sleep. She felt his presence leave and, even though she was in the warmth of the covers, she shivered from a sudden chill from deep within her. 


	6. Water, Water Everywhere, but Not a Drop ...

Disclaimer: I don't pretend to know all there is to about Trigun or my favorite character Ryoko, but I do say this. I do the best to my abilities. so enjoy!!  
  
  
  
  
  
Chapter Five: Water, Water Everywhere but Not a Drop to Drink  
  
The noon rays from a harsh and unkind sun found its way into Ryoko's bedroom window. She stirred slightly, not wanting to open her eyes. She knew Vash had left her there and she vaguely remembered the events from the night previous.  
  
--- What an idiot I am--- she thought to herself.  
  
She remembered her laughter carrying throughout the whole bar; of her beating her fists wildly on the table as he had once again said something so utterly ridiculous that she had to go into hysterical fits of laughter every time she even thought of it. Most of all she remembered that how she passed out was that she closed her eyes for only a few moments and her face ended up implanting itself directly into the table.  
  
"I was still holding onto the bottle. I don't remember it, but that's how it always goes." She said aloud and slowly made an attempt to sit up.  
  
She looked around and saw her cape hung neatly on rack next to the door and her boots set neatly next to her bed. She then also remembered something else. it was the way she made him laugh and how he actually listened to what she said and responded to her in a positive way.  
  
She sat up with the covers bunched up at her sides and her hands in her lap as she slowly began to form fists.  
  
--- Why must I kill him? Why?!--- She thought and then tried to reach into her own soul to find the answers.  
  
In the recesses of her mind she wondered absently if she even had any sort of feelings for the man called Millions Knives, the one she had left to find behind to do his bidding.  
  
--- But he's so cold towards me.--- she thought.  
  
But just as she was about to find what was known as truth a sudden cold and dense fog seemed to engulf her mind and she found herself getting dressed and tracking down the Legendary Gunman down once again.  
  
***later that day*** Ryoko found a deserted town that reminded her of an old western she once saw a long, long, long time ago. She found herself perched on top of an old building watching a large mansion with an intense gaze. In all the time she was there she hadn't seen a single person, except for the occasional traveler and maybe a family or two. But none of them stayed.  
  
She was greatly surprised when she heard the huffing and puffing of two women as they made their way sluggishly up to the mansion's front door. She leaned in closer and saw that it was the two women that were talking to Vash the previous day.  
  
The short one banged heavily on the door and as the door opened they both gave a deep bow. She then heard the short one ask quite kindly for some water, but once she looked up and saw that it was Vash standing there her appearance seemed to be crushed. It was obvious that she wasn't happy to see him, as for the tall one, she seemed totally oblivious to her friend's discontent and greeted him happily, in which he greeted her with equal happiness. This seemed to infuriate the short one some.  
  
With an eye twitching almost wildly she asked again for a glass of water. Ryoko knew why he was there, it was quite funny actually. A man owned a large water supply and was selling it to the people of the city. The people were angry, but did as he asked all the same, but now there were assassins after his life. He had a young woman living with him as well; she also seemed to need protection as well. So the little short man with the bad mustache but an advertisement in the paper for a body guard, he even asked specifically for Vash the Stampede. The thing was, who ever applied the little balding man would automatically call who ever replied Vash the Stampede, no matter who it was to show up. Funny thing was that it just so happened to be Vash who the one was answering it.  
  
As night fell Ryoko flew in for a closer view and sat near the window that faced the living room. She narrowed her eyes as she watched as the short girl pulled a short man into an enclosed area and could hear clearly as the girl verbally bashed Vash, telling the man he must be a complete idiot for believing that Vash could possible be who he said he was.  
  
During this entire time Vash sat all starry and wide-eyed as he goggled at the blonde girl that was staying with the short man. Every once and a while they would give a nervous glance back at the commotion the girl was making. After observing for a while, Ryoko found that the first girl, the short one's, name was Maryl and the second tall girl's name was Millie.  
  
--- Such retarded names. Perfect for humans I guess. --- She thought to herself before she found herself almost dozing off to sleep as night found its way to the mansion.  
  
She suddenly snapped to attention when she heard someone on the roof. She dissipated and then reappeared onto the roof just in time to see the Legendary Gunman tie a rope around his waist and then jump off the roof. She ran to the edge of the roof and peered over to see the Humanoid Typhoon peeping into the window of the girl's bathroom. Worst of all it seemed that the shower was running. Ryoko's face contorted into an over-elaborate scowl. Just before she could create a small energy ball to cut the rope the girl known as Millie stuck her head out.  
  
"Oh, hello Vash. What are you doing out here?" she asked.  
  
"Oh, I um, I'm diligently patrolling the roof area for spooks." He said with a shy grin.  
  
She said something in confirmation and gave him a smile before she shut the window on him. He gave a great sigh before untying the rope and landed perfectly on the ground beneath him. Ryoko gritted her teeth, but couldn't figure out why she was so upset.  
  
--- It's because he's a filthy pig! That's what it is!!--- She thought as her teeth clamped tighter together.  
  
Shortly after he was out of sight she sailed down from the top of the roof. Her eyes narrowed as she followed him around the house.  
  
As he walked in he was met by Millie and Maryl. They were raving about how they couldn't find the little, partially bald man with the bad mustache and grin that was much too large for his features and the girl that was staying with him. Ryoko thought that when the man grinned it made his head look like an over lumpy football.  
  
Millie gave the thought that she might've been kidnapped, and Maryl countered that there was no one near the house and that's when Millie brought up the fact that Vash thought there was someone on the roof. He promptly denied that and Millie proceeded to refresh his memory by telling him about the incident at the bathroom window and his explanation of why he was there.  
  
That set Maryl off and she started pushing him and asking him what he was doing looking into a woman's bathroom when the shower was going and proceeded to accuse him of being a peeping tom when he fell over the couch and pulled a rope leading from the ceiling. When he did this a secret entrance into the wall opened and they were all left there gawking at it.  
  
Ryoko watched as they wondered into the secret room before she dematerialized through the wall and followed through the door. Curiosity etched her face. She took her time following them, but as soon as she came into the large open area, the action had already started without her.  
  
There was a large slope that was carrying water down into a large water reserve, where it was being either pumped or stored. Vash looked drenched as he had obviously slid himself down the slope of water and had pulled himself up onto the basement's floor.  
  
He was then facing the football-headed short guy as he had a gun not only to Vash but the girl as well. The girl was there, but she was no longer dressed in the fancy, over-elaborate dresses she once was in, but she was now wearing some tight red outfit with her hair up.  
  
Ryoko got the basic gist that the short guy was hording water and monopolizing it to gain an immense fortune. Ryoko gritted her teeth some.  
  
--- That girl's been shot once by that old fart...and for what? Wanting to save her people from this guy's dictation? --- Her frown deepened.  
  
The temptation to fly down there was so overwhelming that she almost did, but then something in the back of her head stopped her. She had to wait and see how things played out.  
  
The man shot at Vash and Vash side-stepped it easily. The bullet grazed past his ear and caused strands of hair to sever from his head and fall to the floor. He was able to keep his concentrated look for only a few seconds before he pretended like he just figured out that the man had actually wanted to shoot him and that he barely missed and that he was going to try again very soon.  
  
Vash then freaked out and started dancing around as the man shot at him. His body twisted in all sorts of odd angles to avoid contact. Then, suddenly, the bullets ran out and as the man tried to reload he looked up and saw Vash right in front of him.  
  
Vash told him something about playing with dangerous toys and then flicked the guy in the nose. The guy went flying back wards and a squirt of blood followed. The man then opened his vest to reveal a mechanical device that allowed many guns to hide under his vest, and upon opening the vest, the mechanism was triggered and the guns popped up ready for firing.  
  
The little man opened fire and Ryoko was ready to spring when Vash found a way to dodge all the bullets and wait for the guns to be out of ammunition. What Vash didn't know (or appeared not to know) was that one of the stray bullets, that he actually deflected, hit the main generator or the water plant.  
  
Vash ended up knocking the guy out cold and then stood there laughing hysterically at his victory. He looked at the girls, who had terror stricken faces and a blank look washed over his face.  
  
Maryl lifted a shaky hand towards the damaged and now sparking and enlarging water generator. He glanced over his shoulder and when he looked back his jaw was dropped in a comical way, his eyes had gotten tiny and blue marks streaked his face.  
  
He then grabbed Maryl and Millie and gave a high pitched scream as he ran up and out of the building with them under his arms. The third girl wasn't able to catch up.  
  
--- Stupid girl.she's not going to make it--- Ryoko thought sadly.  
  
Ryoko then gave a deep breath before disappearing and then reappearing right behind the girl. When Ryoko grabbed her she began flailing about madly.  
  
"Will you stop squirming damn it! I'm trying to save you, you stupid." as she said this, the girl nearly head-butted Ryoko.  
  
At this Ryoko sped up so much that the girl had no way she could move. Just as Ryoko was leaving the main entrance the entire mansion exploded, causing her and the girl to go flying, but not by choice.  
  
As they landed, Ryoko twisted her body just so that she could cushion the girl's fall. She then went skidding long after she had released the girl's body. Her body flipped occasionally before she came to a grinding halt on her side.  
  
Her cape was almost shredded to oblivion. She then slowly began to push herself up. The girl got up and then glared at Ryoko.  
  
"I could've saved myself you know!" she called to her.  
  
Ryoko slowly stood and then dusted herself off.  
  
"Whatever." She muttered.  
  
Ryoko then walked up and past the girl without a single glance.  
  
The girl seemed to be speechless.  
  
"Hey Ryoko, wait up! Wait up!" a voice came from behind her.  
  
She felt her face grow hot as she barely glanced back as the tall, lanky form ran towards her. She turned around fully to look up into the face of the Humanoid Typhoon. She tried to frown, but the face remained neutral.  
  
"What is it Vash?" she asked flatly.  
  
He had that smile on his face, the smile he'd given her the night before when she was helping him carry the wino.  
  
"What you did was a good thing." He said; his eyes soft and his smile wistful.  
  
She was taken aback some. She forced her eyes to narrow and her lips to frown slightly.  
  
"Don't remind me." She said and then suddenly found his over-righteousness over-whelming and she felt either sick of it, or sick of the fact that she lacked it. Either way, she had to get away from him. But before she could turn to leave she felt a huge hand on her shoulder. She turned around to glair at him, but once she saw the look of gratitude on his face she couldn't help but to put her face into neutral again.  
  
"She thanks you for saving her life, and I do too." He said.  
  
Ryoko, with much effort on her part, brushed the hand off her shoulder.  
  
"Well, don't let it happen again." She said and then walked into the desert.  
  
She couldn't help the feeling that he knew she was there and that he also knew that she would save her. Ryoko knew that he would be going in this direction soon; all she had to do was go into a dust cloud, fly into the sky and then wait for him to pass underneath her.  
  
Before she left, she heard Millie asking Maryl where they had heard the name Ryoko before. Before that Maryl had been denying the whole time that the man in the long, red trench coat was the actual Vash the Stampede. Ryoko smiled slightly at this and continued walking, knowing all the while that the tall, and relatively handsome plant, was watching as she left. 


	7. Peace Maker, Keeper andor Breaker

Disclaimer: I didn't invent Trigun, but I sure do appreciate the one who did. I do this with all respect to him and all the Trigun fans. Enjoy!  
  
Ryoko watched as Vash walked towards the girls a few more steps. The blue haired demon strained her hearing a bit more to listen to their conversation.  
  
"And what if I was Vash the Stampede?" he asked the blonde.  
  
"Then I'd have to arrest you." She answered quaintly.  
  
She then moved in closer to Millie and Maryl.  
  
"I guess this means your job is done as well." She asked.  
  
They both laughed nervously as Maryl waved off the question.  
  
"Actually this means we're back to square one." She said with discontent.  
  
As this was occurring Vash took this time to walk away.  
  
"Hey! Why are you leaving?" the blonde asked with disappointment in her eyes and voice.  
  
"My job here is done." He said, not turning back, but gave a small wave.  
  
"There goes the body guard with no name; I could really fall for a guy like that." The blond said.  
  
Maryl stared back in shock as she realized she was talking about the lanky man, with the upside-down hair cut, droopy eyes, whose nuts for donuts and gorges them like a starved hog in heat; the man with the red trench coat in thousand degrees weather and goofy sunglasses.  
  
Ryoko needed to hear no more because her target was on the move. It took her a few seconds to realize he was talking. At first she thought he was talking to her, but the tone was too low and she then realized he was talking to himself.  
  
"I was so sure it was going to work out this time, she was such a cutie. Well, I guess it wouldn't have worked out anyways. I don't want to get arrested. And this'll probably be blamed on me too! Aw man!" he said and then gave a big sigh.  
  
Ryoko looked back and noticed because of the water factory exploding, that almost the entire town was submerged in water. She gave a slight smirk on Vash's behalf and was going to continue her pursuit when she realized he had suddenly stopped. He raised a closed fist to his mouth and then cleared his throat.  
  
"You know, since we're both obviously going in the same direction, we could walk together." He said in a toneless voice.  
  
At first Ryoko was shocked and a bit surprised; then she smiled, disappeared and then reappeared beside him on the lone desert grounds.  
  
"You know, you've got to show me how to do that trick sometime Ryoko." He said in almost a child like manner.  
  
She gave a sigh and commenced to walk with Vash. Silence prevailed as she chose to walk in silence as she watched the sands be whisked away by the prevailing Westerly Winds.  
  
  
  
They arrived into a small town the next morning. They had walked several blocks before Vash finally stopped and looked at Ryoko.  
  
"You're not gonna follow me, are you?" he asked nervously.  
  
The blue haired demon gave him a disgusted look and looked away.  
  
"What makes you think I'd want to follow your stupid tail around all day?" she asked.  
  
When she looked back at him he was already ten feet ahead of her. He waved happily back.  
  
"Well, it was great seeing you again. Take care of your self!" he called back.  
  
His voice was just a little too cheery for her liking. Her brows flattened.  
  
'That was quick.' She thought to herself with a frown.  
  
She followed him and he only slowed down once, and that was so he could reply to someone calling his name. It was the tall chick from the insurance company, and the short one was still with her.  
  
'What was her name again? Martha? Miranda?' she was thinking so intently for the girl's name that she hardly noticed the man being thrown from the bar.  
  
He was being thrown from the bar just as Vash was walking past. She didn't even see that the lush was thrown right into Vash and that Vash was knocked into a feeding trough. She looked back in time to see him pull him self out. The seemed distraught as he sat covered in a clumpy food substance. The man who ran into Vash called to him. He was complaining about being hurt when ever Vash plowed into him. Then he said Vash could make it up to him by buying him a drink. Ryoko's eyes lit up.  
  
'Drinks!' she thought happily.  
  
Vash tried to get away from the obviously drunk man, but the man proceeded to pursue him and finally ended Vash's get-away by wrapping his body around him. Vash struggled to get away from the wino's drunken embrace. The insurance chicks walked by and observed the scene.  
  
"Hey, Maryl? Aren't we gonna help him?" the tall one asked.  
  
"That's just sick Millie, let's go." Maryl said, ignoring her friend's question.  
  
"But Maryl." she pressed.  
  
"Let him work out his own problems." Maryl said and began walking away.  
  
Millie reluctantly followed as she gave Vash one last wave goodbye.  
  
"Hey! Insurance girls! Wait up! HELP ME! Awww! How can you just leave me like this? GIRLS!!?" he cried after them.  
  
Ryoko then stood just above his head. No one in the crowd forming around them saw her appear. Vash then looked very slowly up and then gave a high-pitched scream at seeing her.  
  
"Ryoko! You've gotta help me!" he said in a shamefully pathetic tone, one only found in the desperate.  
  
She then gave him a smile.  
  
"Only on one condition..." The smile grew wider and looked slightly sinister from his point of view.  
  
Ryoko and the drunk led Vash through the double doors of a bar. She sat them both down before taking a seat for herself. Vash looked at her through narrowed eyes, one of them twitched ever so often.  
  
"How very kind of you to find us a seat." He said in a low, flat tone.  
  
"My pleasure." She said with a devious smile.  
  
"She's beautiful, man!" the wino said to Vash before looking to the heavy set woman who working behind the bar.  
  
"Bring us the best booze ya got!" he called to her in drawl happiness.  
  
"Ya got money?" she asked, her voice filled with irritancy and malice.  
  
"Yeah! My boy here's a son-of-a-millionaire!" he replied.  
  
Vash held up his hands and waved furiously; his face flushed and tinted red along his cheeks.  
  
"Don't listen to him ma'am! Just bring us the cheapest you've got!" the humanoid typhoon called to her urgently.  
  
Ryoko sat back in her seat as glasses came and a bottle was sitting in the center. The wino reached in quickly and began the filling of his glass. Then woman stood next to Vash, her features pulled together with distrust and already a disliking of the stranger and his bimbo looking friend with the blue hair.  
  
"Mister, we don't like to have trouble around here. I'm gonna have to hold your piece for you." She said to Vash in regards to his gun.  
  
Vash didn't seem to be bothered at all by the request and pulled out his gun easily. He released the barrel's opening, causing the bullets to fly into the air. In one swift movement he caught the bullets midair, stuck them in his pocket, closed the chamber and then handed it solemnly to the woman. The woman looked at the gun for a moment.  
  
"That's a mighty fine gun you got there? Where'd you get it?" she asked.  
  
Vash smiled sheepishly.  
  
"It sure is; it was given to me." He said just as sheepishly.  
  
Ryoko had seen the wino's face, for the first time, grow serous.  
  
"No it's not." He said simply, his voice unhindered by the alcohol's influence.  
  
Vash's cheeks reddened slightly.  
  
"You're right! It's off by about three inches at only ten yards. You really must know your guns!" he said, his voice filled with admiration.  
  
The wino said nothing as he took another drink.  
  
"Hey Grandma!" Vash called to the woman, but then quickly realized his error and changed his approach.  
  
".I mean. Nice young lady.Have you heard of a Frank Marlin? I heard he was famous around these parts." He asked a sweetly as possible.  
  
"Yeah? He was a local hero. A bunch a bandits terrorized this town until he made us all guns and showed us how to use them and how the fight. Ran them right out. What's it to you?" she asked in her usual tone of distaste.  
  
"Well, I heard he was a master gun-smith and I was kinda hoping he could fix my old heap." He said with a smile.  
  
"I wouldn't trust him with it, his liable to sell it to buy booze." before she could finish her sentience the wino had threw his glass at the bar.  
  
Vash watched as the man before him looked away in shame and the woman had a similar look about her. Ryoko only looked on in wonder. Ryoko looked off somewhere into space as the lush took away Vash's glass and said something about not needing to find him; he was a 'nobody'. Ryoko looked back in time to see Vash smile kindly and pore the man another drink. The man looked on with astonishment and silence was once more at the table. Every once and a while Ryoko would glance at the man's nails: which were un- kept and unclean. She noticed Vash had noticed it too, but she doubted that he was feeling the same as she did about it.  
  
It was several hours and six bottles later. Vash, the wino with the dirty fingernails, and Ryoko sat on the table singing old songs when the woman finally threw them out. All three were lined up in a row as they walked out and Vash insisted on turning the crowd around.  
  
"Hey! Hey Grandma! Gimmie. gimmie back my gun!" Vash stuttered to the bar- tender.  
  
The gun then came whizzing out the door and smacked him in the forehead before ricocheting into the air. Vash's head had snapped back from the blow.  
  
"Bro, what happened?" the wino asked and Ryoko looked on with lazy eyes.  
  
"Gee, I donno. My head all-a-sudden started hurtin'." He said slurred.  
  
"That's not good." The wino replied.  
  
At that point Vash twisted his wrist so that his hand was palm up as he caught his gun.  
  
"Nope it's not." He said and the whole line turned once again to head back to his house.  
  
"Want some more? I got some at my house. You're more then welcome to come." He said looking at Ryoko.  
  
She shook her head.  
  
"I'm not into spendin' da night at weird guys' houses, know what I'm sayin'?" she asked as she pulled away from Vash.  
  
A flash of concern went through his eyes and she gave him a smile, a wink and then a thumbs-up.  
  
"Don't worry bout me fellas, I'm gonna be just dandy!" she said turning and leaving for a hotel.  
  
"Okay! Bye-bye!" the lush waved happily after her.  
  
Vash said his goodbyes and they were soon out of hearing distance.  
  
  
  
The ruckus of the next day hadn't wakened Ryoko till most of it had already started. She woke up with the usual hang-over and stumbled groggily over to the window. As she watched out the window she saw Vash walk towards a bunch of men that were robbing the bank. She blinked several times and tried to focus more.  
  
'Is Vash wearing a trash-can lid on his head?' she asked herself in wonder.  
  
Vash was wearing a trash can lid on his head.  
  
Ryoko yawned and then leaned on the seal.  
  
Vash hit his feet together, when he did a large blade snapped out of his boot. He then did a swift movement upward and sliced what looked like the get-away car the robbers were using. Vash looked at it sadly, as if just noticing it and then replied that they had a flat tire. The other guy claimed to be Vash the Stampede and Vash replied that Vash looked better.  
  
Ryoko yawned again and when she looked back Vash and the ugly talk man with the goggles were in a stand off.  
  
It was clearly a showdown between two gun slingers; him with his large rifle and Vash with the gun hidden and erected in his coat pocket.  
  
Ryoko stretched and then absent-mindedly scratched at her side. She looked back to see all the village people with guns. She watched as the guy's gun mutated into a bigger gun, but then the man she supposed was Frank Marlin (the wino) appeared behind him and the ugly man ended up running away and tripping over his friends while he made idle threats to those he ran from.  
  
The gun that he supposable held to the gunman's head was actually his index finger, and claimed it to be unloaded. Vash laughed and said the same as he pulled his index finger out from his coat pocket. They laughed and Ryoko decided it was time to get dressed and find breakfast.  
  
There was a big party down at the bar that night and Ryoko couldn't turn down a free drink. She watched as Vash spun around in his chair, yelling happily towards the town's victory. He then stuck out his glass to the bar-tender and asked for "grandma" to fill-her-up. She brought the glass pitcher down on his head and he asked more politely the second time around.  
  
'The gun smith and Vash seemed to get along fairly well.' She thought, even though she felt bad about not being able to establish that kind of relationship with people.  
  
She was quick to shrug it off with another drink. She was quick to leave when she saw Vash had left the building. She was quick to down the drink as she jumped up and knocked over her chair. No one noticed, however, as she rushed to the door. She got a glimpse, as she ran towards the door as it swayed open and closed on its loose hinge, of Frank Marlin handing Vash a refurnished gun; Vash's refurnished gun. As Ryoko opened the door she heard Frank ask Vash his name. To her horror Vash's head seemed to swell, as his lips puckered, cheeks swelled and his entire features seemed to over exaggerate the need to relieve some type of pressure. Before the realization took hold of her, and before her brain could react with the message of warning from her realization, Vash turned to the wall of the bar and began vomiting. Ryoko's face flushed, and was riddled with blue tents. Her enlarged eyes twitched and her mouth dropped out of horror. She quickly turned and leaned one hand on one of the porches support beams and the other rested on her thigh as she began to feel a little queasy herself.  
  
"You drink too much." Frank said.  
  
"I'm sorry!" Vash cried.  
  
  
  
The next day Vash was still walking the desert, his large nap-sack thrown over one shoulder and his large red trench coat blowing in the breeze. Maryl and Millie were not too far behind them on the weird animals they rode.  
  
"I don't care what you say Millie, we're not following him! We just happen to be traveling in the same direction, that's all." Maryl said indignantly.  
  
"Just admit it, you're worried about him aren't you Maryl." Millie smiled to her.  
  
Maryl just frowned.  
  
"I know of someone who's following him." She said and then turned to look at the Blue Haired Demon that was once walking beside them.  
  
Ryoko was now hovering several feet above the ground and was eye level with Millie and Maryl on their strange creatures. Ryoko floated with her legs tucked lazily behind her, her shoulders hunched, with her arms dangling in front of her and head slightly lowered. Maryl uttered a gasp.  
  
"Uh. uh. uh." she began to stutter.  
  
Ryoko turned her weary glance to Maryl. A frown was set deep into her features, her eyes were droopy and bags seemed to be appearing below them.  
  
"What?" she asked in a mixture of annoyance and drawl.  
  
"You.why...how... you're floating!!?" Maryl managed to stammer.  
  
"That's because I'm tired of walking!" Ryoko said in a tone that suggested that she should've known this by now.  
  
Ryoko's eyes were narrowed towards her, then gave a sigh as she saw Maryl's facial expression didn't change in the slightest and continued to watch Vash's back.  
  
"I wish we could fly, and then we wouldn't have to ride these smelly things any more. Right, Maryl?" Millie said in her usual child-like voice.  
  
Maryl's disturbed gaze continued on Ryoko and never faltered.  
  
How was that? I really enjoy making these fan-fics! But in order to make them better, I must have feed back, whither good or bad. Thanx to all those who are dedicated readers! The next chapter should be coming soon! 


	8. Love and Something Else

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights and privileges of the person, who created Trigun, however. as a diligent fan, I must mess with it as much as possible. Because my favorite character of all time is Ryoko, but my favorite series of all time is Trigun. So, please, for the love of anime. endure this cliché.  
  
*** Ryoko didn't know where Vash went, Ryoko really didn't care. She ended up following the insurance girls into the nearest bar. The girls sat contently at a round table randomly selected out of the dozens in the bar. Ryoko found her content while sitting at the bar, as close as possible to the bartender and his supplies. That day she wore faded blue jeans, a shirt that revealed her mid-drift and long-sleeved jacket, which she had tied around her waist.  
  
She barely noticed how one of the girls at the bar. (as there were only a few, including Ryoko, Millie and Maryl). She played fervently with the men in several rounds of poker which ended in the men loosing their money and the harping on and on about how much luck she had.  
  
Her annoying tone was slowly working its way through Ryoko's right ear. Ryoko gulped her beer louder as to drown out the girl's whiny voice. She heard the intolerable one ask the men if they wanted another round. All hastily declined and one stormed out of the bar angrily, shouting profanities and cursing the girl.  
  
For almost a second Ryoko thought she'd have silence, but then the girl asked Millie and Maryl if they wanted to play. Millie asked if it was Old Maid and Maryl declined for the both of them, claiming Old Maid was all they knew how to play.  
  
'The girl's gonna protest, I know it.' Ryoko looked down at her almost finished glass.  
  
'.must.throw.glass.at.where the sound is coming from.piercing ear drums.' she thought looking closer at her drink her eye twitching slightly.  
  
'.but first.I must finish its contents.' She thought again and began drinking from it again.  
  
With out hesitance she ordered her shot to be filled. Upon realizing this error she shrugged. As this occurred a tall, masculine man sitting not too far from her offered to play, the stakes. was her life.  
  
That's when guns were pulled, showing that several men had planed to take the entire bar hostage, the tall man was their leader. Ryoko sat down her glass and disappeared. When the commotion died down she reappeared in front of her glass.  
  
'That felt much better! I hadn't got the chance to use the bathroom since.this morning.' she thought and then began drinking again.  
  
A tall man with a bandana tied around his face saw Ryoko as if for the first time. "What the. hey boss! We've got one that ain't tied up yet!" he cried to the built man.  
  
"How in the hell. Never mind. go contain her!" he said, his voice filled with bewilderment.  
  
The tall man looked at his senior and then nodded slightly before walking over to Ryoko, the rifle lifted and aimed at her head.  
  
"Hey! Hey you! You at the bar! Turn around nice n' slow and you won't get hurt!" he called to Ryoko.  
  
The Blue Haired Demon seemed oblivious that this miscreant was even addressing her. She continued to sip her drink with out acknowledging the fact that there were armed men holding the entire bar hostage and that the population there of was bound by ropes and randomly scattered throughout the room.  
  
Maryl looked on in anger.  
  
"Damn it, who-ever-you-are! Don't you know we're being held hostage?! You could help us out a little bit!" Maryl yelled at Ryoko angrily.  
  
Ryoko looked at her through the corner of her eye, her eyes narrowing slightly and then turned to them an inch or two.  
  
"And why should I?" Ryoko asked flatly.  
  
Maryl frowned and her face grew hot. She looked as if she were about to blow.  
  
"Why, cause it's the right thing to do! That's why." Millie said sweetly, her smile simple.  
  
Before Ryoko could reply to this the man was only a couple feet from Ryoko.  
  
"I SAID GET ON THE FLOOR OR I'M GONNA BLOW YOUR FREAKIN' BRAINS OUT!" the man yelled with such arrogance and blind fury that Ryoko slowly placed down her drink and turned slowly around so that she was looking strait into the double barrels of the tall man's shot gun.  
  
Ryoko's body remained lax and her posture remained casual, but something passed behind her eyes as a wicked smile surfaced. Even from her position she seemed to be looking down at him rather then right at him.  
  
"Watcha gonna do? Huh? Are you gonna 'blow my freakin' brains out, or what?" Ryoko challenged.  
  
The young man's eyes contorted with anger, his features went ridged. He then cocked his shot gun. Ryoko's response was to start tapping on the table as she waited.  
  
"Well.? Lost your nerve yet? Or are you waiting for permission?" she said in a casual enough tone, but it was laced with so much sarcasm that the gun- man's shaking finger found it's way to the trigger.  
  
"Stop it!" the large man said and then walked next to the tall one.  
  
He then looked at Ryoko, his features softened some and the anger in his eyes subsided some.  
  
"Listen Mrs. We're not wantin' any trouble, so if you could just." he said, his voice lowed and became less harsh.  
  
"No, you listen. I really don't give a damn what you do. What I do mind is that you're interrupting a perfectly good drinking session." She said as she gestured casually with a lazy flip of the wrist.  
  
The men looked at her in almost bewilderment. The tall one seemed generally disturbed at this occurrence and the built one seemed slightly confused.  
  
Ryoko then leaned forward with a half cocked smile on her face and her eyes closed.  
  
"You guys aren't going to let me be, are you?" she asked in a low tone.  
  
"He's goin' to hafta shoot you, Ma'am." The built one said almost apologetically.  
  
Ryoko then tilted her head from side to side, causing it to crack loudly and then arched her back slightly, causing it to crack as well.  
  
"Then why not go ahead and get this over with so that I can get back to my drink, okay?" she said simply.  
  
In a flash she stood, her body turned slightly away from the man and her hand was positioned palm-facing the gun's barrels. Before he had a chance to pull the trigger, and before Ryoko had a chance to show off what ever ability she wanted to, a round of gun fire began from the gun men at the windows. Ryoko watched as the man hesitated before turning and running to the front doors of the Bar. She let her hand drop to her side and then she gave a sigh of disappointment. She then stood attentively as she waited to see what it was they were shooting at. Suddenly the doors swung open and there stood the Humanoid Typhoon, completely oblivious to all that was occurring around him as he had small ear phones in his ears that lead to a small tape-player tucked in the belt of his trench coat. He stood for a second, blinking with a look of innocent ignorance on his face, and then proceeded to blow a bubble from the gum he was chewing. Ryoko's mouth went slightly ajar as she did an anime-fall to the ground. In a matter of seconds Vash was tied up next to the insurance girls. Ryoko then found a perch on the bar tender's table. She sat Indian-style as she leaned back and propped herself with one hand and drank with the other. The slender man once again came up to her and held the gun at her. She was in a mid-swig when this occurred. She didn't put down the glass; she only opened one eye to glance at him.  
  
"I'm gonna tell you one more time! You get over there with the others or I WILL KILL YOU!" he screamed.  
  
Ryoko pulled the glass from her lips, gave a loud, satisfied sigh. She then gave a long, deep throated belch, and proceeded to wipe her mouth with the back of her hand. She gave him a silly grin and then lifted her hand again. Only this time there was no hesitation on the man's part. He then fired the gun.  
  
A flash of light came and went quicker then the human eye could follow. In that flash Ryoko had knocked the bullet off of the course with one hand, sending it into the floor, and used the other hand to send the man flying into wall farthest from her.  
  
The man hit the wall and was stunned for only a few seconds. His knees were threatening to give in, but he quickly righted himself. The other gun men looked to him in alarm and had just enough time to see Ryoko appear in front of him. The still dazed man looked at her. His eyes showed that of pain and confusion.  
  
She stood in front of him with her hands on her hips and her weight shifted to one leg. She had a look of triumph and severe sympathy that she over- exaggerated on.  
  
She then turned to the others dramatically and pointed her finger randomly.  
  
"In case you're wondering who I am, I'll tell you! I am Ryoko! The Blue Haired Demon! The one with the bounty that surpasses even that of Vash the Stampede!" she called to them in a strong voice.  
  
"I am the Seventy-Five-Billion-Double-Dollar-Woman... and the most feared space pirate that's ever lived!" she said, her voice over-enthused as she began to laugh maniacally.  
  
The men looked at each other in looks of doubt and fear. They didn't need to speak for the words showed plain on their expressions towards each other.  
  
The words spoke: 'Could it be her? Is she lying? Do we want to take that chance? Are we going to die? How could something this terrible happen? Of all the people; of all the places; of all the times; WHY US?!'  
  
Ryoko's smile broadened, she could read the voices loud and clear, and it excited her greatly. The broad-bodied leader spoke first.  
  
"What do you want?" he asked reluctantly.  
  
Ryoko's arm fell and she gave him a look that suggested that the question he just asked was the stupidest thing she'd ever heard in her entire life. She blinked several times as if she hadn't heard the question right.  
  
"What. what do I want?!...I want to be able to sit down and have a drink without some asshole waving a gun in my face and barking orders! How's that sound chief!" she didn't wait for an answer before she walked over to the bar again.  
  
The hostages were giving her looks of pure terror, those of which included Maryl, but Millie seemed to be thinking that one over. Vash tried to look surprised, but the reaction was a little to late for Ryoko.  
  
Vash had then turned his attention to the girl with the annoying voice as she had her hands tied behind her, a rope tied around her waist and she hung from the ceiling. The gunmen reluctantly turned their attention back to the windows, although they gave uneasy glances back at Ryoko and the man who held the gun to her found a position at the far end of the bar, away from her.  
  
She drank with a flat expression, although, inwardly, she found great pleasure in the people's reverence towards her. She had left more destruction in her wake then the great "Vash the Stampede" himself. All of which were in the name of Knives, his ambitions and her intentions to make Vash suffer.  
  
Speaking of Vash. Ryoko looked over to him. She saw him in time to see him edging his way, in a worm-like manner, towards the girl with the loud mouth. She screamed and one of the gun men came and kicked him in the face. He flew back and landed in Maryl's lap. Ryoko didn't hear what was being said, but there was a sudden loud thud as Maryl allowed Vash's head to hit the floor.  
  
'Things might get interesting yet.' She thought to herself.  
  
She watched the men as they edged farther from her. She heard one begging the large man if he could leave, that if they could all leave.  
  
"No! We've started this and now we're gonna finish it!" he yelled.  
  
As he did he gave a nervous glance at Ryoko, who showed no signs of even paying any attention towards him. The man then asked him if he thought she could be lying. The large man just shook his head. It was her alright.  
  
She took another long drink and then asked to bar tender to fill it up, then realized he was still tied up.  
  
She waved a hand at him flippantly.  
  
"Don't worry about getting up, I'll get it myself." She said happily and then jumped behind the counter and fixed her another glass.  
  
During this time Vash made two more attempts to get at the girl, his eyes were all pethetically large and love-struck. Ryoko even thought it kind of funny the way they beat him up for getting close to her.  
  
'He's got to be up to something. something other than trying to peer up that girl's dress.' Ryoko thought.  
  
It was her only reason for staying.  
  
A man who had been listening to the radio went to the large man quickly. He whispered something and then waited for a reaction.  
  
"Vash the Stampede, huh?" he said almost mechanically.  
  
"What about Vash the Stampede?" a man in the corner asked.  
  
"It said he was last seen headin' out this way."  
  
"What!? Vash the Stampede's on his way here! Oh, shit! If he comes here we're all done for. He'll probably cohort with that she-demon and destroy us all!" he said frantically.  
  
"Now calm down, ain't nothin' gonna stop us from getting what we came for." The large man stated.  
  
His men still looked completely nerve wrecked.  
  
All was quiet till the loud-mouthed chick decided she'd talk. She said something about, 'not expected much money out of her father. but if you're looking for pocket money.'  
  
The man who was trigger-happy with Ryoko earlier on was now on the loud one. He had the hammer pulled back and the barrel down her throat. Ryoko leaned forward for a better look. The man was going to pull the trigger before Vash broke a table and the large man seemed to come to his senses and decided to stop him.  
  
He had placed his thumb in between the hammer and its final destination. As soon as the man was calm and the other men were done beating Vash once again, the man pulled his hand away from the hammer. As he did he noticed a wad of bubble gum there. He looked at Vash, knowing it was the same kind he was chewing when he came in. Before he could ask, Vash was hopping up and down at a window in the front of the bar.  
  
"Lookie! Lookie! Somethin's comin'!" Vash said happily.  
  
The large man pushed Vash out of the way in order to see a large, armored van pull up in front of the bar. The man driving stepped out and brought a briefcase around, laid it on the ground and then backed away. The large man then looked out of the double doors.  
  
"You better've not tried anything funny!" he called.  
  
He then allowed someone to go and check it out.  
  
"You be careful." He called.  
  
The man nodded back and continued on towards the van. The man got to the van, but then seemed to be surprised at something and began to run back. He was then shot. Another man ran out to help him, but then the van revved up and proceeded to run that man down.  
  
The van then crashed in through the front wall and everyone dived out of the way. Suddenly about seven retarded, sideshow-freak-dropouts came running out of the van, loaded with guns of all sorts and not really looking as if they knew what to do with them.  
  
They just began firing without warning.  
  
Maryl, Millie and the large guy was able to get behind the bar. As for Vash, he clicked his heals together, causing the knife to come out once again; did a back-flip, grabbed the girl and cut the rope. He was then able to land them both safely behind the bar table. He did this all in one, smooth motion.  
  
Ryoko, however, had no intention of hiding behind the bar table. Bullets whizzed by her, and ricocheted off of her, but she was unable to stop it from hitting her glass. They stopped firing after that. She looked down at her shattered glass, and her now soaked jeans and shirt. Her look was dark and her eye twitched.  
  
"What's that bitch made of?" a slender man with bad teeth and a maniacal voice asked.  
  
Her eye twitched even more. She then slowly slid herself down from the table and stood in front of the masses. She then dusted her hands off of all glass and then wiped them off on the dry side of her jeans. In a microsecond it all began. Ryoko started by flying at the man who broke her glass. She then spun around and did a hook kick into his face. Vash then followed by flipping off of the counter and landing in front of a large man that had on a metal vest that revealed only his nose up in proportion to his face. Vash then held the gun at that portion. Ryoko, however, being continent with her K.O., went back around the counter of the bar, stepped over the large man, Maryl and Millie.  
  
She then reached for an entire bottle, opened it, and began drinking its contents. This could be considered the only bottle remaining in tact. Millie and Maryl sent her horrified looks as she gulped down the beverage. They then turned to Vash, who had the gun pointed at the man's head. Even Ryoko watched.  
  
"Shot!" the large man cried.  
  
"Don't do it!" Millie called.  
  
Vash whispered something and then lowered the gun.  
  
'Rem? Who's Rem? What's Rem? Where's Rem? Why Rem?' Ryoko thought as she began remembering Rem.  
  
**********Flashback********  
  
Rem was a good person, but she was still human. Rem sang and she sang well. Ryoko loved to hear her sing to Vash. She hid in the ducts of the bio room in order to hear her sing. She knew that Knives wasn't listening. She knew that Knives had his own thoughts to contend with. But there was something him and his brother could always agree on, and that was how much they loved the bio room; the trees, the grass, and especially, its solitude. She could see why they loved it. She could see why it had brought them somewhat closer together.  
  
********End Flashback********  
  
'Kill the spiders to save the butterflies.' Ryoko thought and then she drank harder, trying to drown what ever it was that was forcing itself to the surface. She wouldn't allow herself to cry now. but maybe later.  
  
Another of the seven 'tards was about to take advantage of Vash's decision, but the large man tackled him before he could.  
  
"Why didn't you shoot him?!" he yelled at Vash.  
  
Vash didn't answer; he only looked down and rubbed the back of his neck.  
  
"I'm real glade you didn't shoot him, Mr. Vash." Millie said happily.  
  
Vash looked up at her with a sad and awkward smile.  
  
"Yeah? Me too." He said.  
  
'I wonder where Rem is.' She thought and then slugged down another mouthful.  
  
'She was a human, stupid! She's dead by now.' her realization seemed to scream from the depths of her mind.  
  
'I wonder if Vash saw her before she died?' she thought.  
  
Silence followed as a conformation.  
  
There was some more fighting and some more guns going off before everything was silent.  
  
The loud girl once again spoke.  
  
"If you guys will stop doing this, I promise you can go free." She stated.  
  
"I can't do that." He said, and to their shock, the only reason he was even doing this was to get revenge on the girl's father.  
  
Her father was a man who gained his immense wealth from the death. Colonies had come to that land and toiled the ground for ten years in order to get it fertile enough to grow something in. That's when her father came in and killed everyone in the colony in order to obtain the land. The girl cried and called him a liar. Ryoko only saw it as humanistic irony and left it as such.  
  
Vash walked out side after the devastation, checked on the wounded and announced the big man's requests.  
  
Why Ryoko walked out with them was beyond her. Her curiosity got the best of her. She stepped outside with the rest, into the burning sun to watch a show down between the girl's father and the man who survived the massacre of his family all those years ago. The girl watched on, tears starting to form. Vash walked to the girl's ear and Ryoko listened inventively.  
  
"You can no longer ignore the actions of your father." He whispered, Ryoko couldn't hear the rest, but the girl replied in a sorrow-felt tone.  
  
"I am well aware of that; I am well aware of that." She said as she watched the showdown continue.  
  
Everything seemed to go in slow motion. Ryoko had enough time to stretch and yawn before the shots were fired. The girl's father hit the ground. The girl then ran to her father as did everyone else. Ryoko was going stay behind and watch from the side-lines, but Vash dragged her to where the others were.  
  
The girl was crying, but the father wasn't dead. To the girl's relief, he was only shot in the shoulder. Ryoko blinked several times through drooping eye-lids and when she glanced at the corner of her eye, she noticed Vash was crying. Both Ryoko and the large man gave him an odd look.  
  
"Thank-you." Vash managed to say to him.  
  
"For what?" he asked, uncertain that he wanted the answer.  
  
"For not killing him." He said almost even more inaudible the first attempt to speak.  
  
"It's not like I did it on purpose, the sun got in my eyes, that's all." He said indignantly, but still looked dumb founded at Vash's blubbering.  
  
Ryoko looked away, her eye brows flattened.  
  
"That's just plain sickening." She muttered loud enough for everyone to hear.  
  
A sudden crowd had formed around them, one that was armed with rifles. A man that was supposedly sheriff (a real ugly something.) started on with a speech about how he was going to kill them all and make it look like it was the bandits and then he'd tell everyone how he had killed the bandits for killing everyone else. Ryoko wasn't paying much attention, even with Vash winking at her constantly.  
  
Because Ryoko refused to respond he looked to Maryl instead. Maryl seemed to get whatever Ryoko chose to ignore. Vash then dived at the sheriff and Maryl jumped in the air, flung open her cape and revealed a large assortment of small hand guns.  
  
Ryoko stood and watched as the men were disabled and, after a little commentary with Maryl, Vash walked up to the sheriff. Ryoko perked up as she watched Vash tear off the sheriff's badge and allowed Maryl to shoot it.  
  
Ryoko's anticipation sky rocketed when Vash stood in front of the former sheriff with a gun in his face.  
  
"Now, repeat after me!" Vash said in a stern voice.  
  
"Okay." The former sheriff whimpered.  
  
Ryoko's breath quickened and she smiled slightly to herself.  
  
'This has got to be good!' she thought.  
  
"The world is made of." Vash said.  
  
"The.world is made." the man stammered.  
  
"The world is made of!!" Vash said louder and more demandingly.  
  
"The world is made of!" the man cried afterwards.  
  
"Love and peace!" he yelled triumphantly.  
  
Ryoko's face fell as she did an anime fall, causing dust clouds to rise around her.  
  
*****Writer's commentary******  
  
Well, how was that? A bit long, I know, but wasn't it fun? I hope you guys enjoyed. Wither you enjoyed it or not, I'd still like to hear from you in your reviews to see what needs improvement, and what should stay the same. Well, Love & Peace! From your friend, Usarea! Ja Ne ALWAYS! 


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